Chances
by AmethystR5
Summary: "I have a heart defect, and if too much strain is put on my heart, I can die. I'm having surgery tomorrow, though." He tries to smile again, looking up at Ally this time, but the smile still doesn't reach his eyes. "It's going to be so awesome when this whole thing is over. I might be able to actually live again and go through high school like a normal person." Two Shot.
1. Austin's News

**A/N: Hey, I'm back with another story! This is just a two-shot, I don't think my stories have the ability to become like a 6 chapter story. Anyway, Thank you to everyone who has reviewed my stories, because all of you are amazing. I love you all. I'm still in the process of writing chapter two of 'Fly Away Home' if you're wondering.**

It's a cold night, and the pale blue light, descending from the moon, is not making it seem any more welcoming. It's dark everywhere, the moonlight not reaching around many corners. Ally's living room is dark too, the only exception being the corner where she sits, huddled under a small lamp with her nose buried in a book. It is a Nicholas Sparks book, and she has read it plenty of times before, but some times, during nights like this one, she really just wants to read it again.

She can't really concentrate, though, and every time she turns the page, an annoyed sigh slips past her lips. She is distracted, even after going in to the kitchen to fetch herself a cup of coffee, and she can't figure out why that is. She should be doing an music assignment for college, and she tried doing it, but nothing turned out the way it was supposed to, and she figured that it would be better to stop working instead of wasting paper on something she couldn't use. She had dug out the book to make herself relax, but it isn't doing its job well at all. If she had been tired, she would have solved it by going to bed, but she wasn't, so she just had to do something.

The doorbell rings, startling Ally in her dark corner, but she puts the book aside and jumps up. She leaves her empty coffee mug on a counter in the kitchen on her way to the door, and before she has reached and opened it, the doorbell rings again.

When she opens it, she is surprised to see her younger brother's best friend, Austin, standing there, but she steps aside to let him in nonetheless. "Hi," she says hesitantly as Austin's toes his shoes off and hangs his coat and scarf on a tiny hook in the wall.

"Hi," Austin mumbles back, standing there awkwardly. "I'm sorry about just showing up like this. I hope I didn't interrupt you doing anything important." The sixteen year old glances around the hallway, eyes sneaking quick looks at the paintings hanging there, some made by Dez, some by Ally.

"No, it's fine. I couldn't concentrate anyway," Ally says before gesturing to Austin to follow her as she walks back in to the living room. Austin follows her further into the home, and they both sit down on the couch in the center of the room, after Ally has turned on another light. "So, why are you here?" Ally asks curiously, leaning back against the fluffy cushions. Austin and her aren't exactly friends, but as he is Dez's best friend, and Ally and Dez are as close as siblings can get, they had hung out a few times and Austin has been to her place in Tampa, with Dez, once or twice before.

"I just felt like visiting you, that's all," Austin says quietly without looking at Ally, and the girl senses that there is something that Austin isn't telling her. "Uhm, can I have something to drink? Water would be fine, just..." His words trail off, and Ally can make out a faint blush on his cheeks.

"Yeah, of course. I feel stupid; I should have asked. I made coffee earlier, there should be enough for both of us. You drink coffee, right?" Austin nods a yes, and Ally gets up from the couch, only to return two minutes later with two large, colorful mugs. "I hope it's still warm enough. If not, we could try putting them in the microwave, but I've found that it always makes it too hot," Ally says, looking at Austin who takes a careful sip, before taking a mouthful herself. It's not as hot as she's used to, but it's not lukewarm either.

"It's fine," Austin replies in the quiet voice he always uses around Ally, but according to Dez, he never talks like that otherwise. Just with Ally. She always thought it was weird, and told Dez so when he pointed it out, but the brother said it was because Austin had a crush on her, something which was apparently blatantly obvious. Ally doesn't see it though, she never has, and she thinks it would be weird if younger guy liked her. Ally doesn't think she's the kind of person that anybody would have a crush on. She isn't that fun, and her ex boyfriends have grown tired of her really quickly.

"So..." Ally starts, but as she doesn't really know what to say to Austin, they are launched into a slightly awkward silence. It's been a rather long time since they last hung out, and Ally can't, for the love of god, remember what Dez actually said the last time he updated her on stuff. She had probably been half asleep during the process, and Dez who was on the phone was too into his babbling to notice Ally's lack of response. "How are things? Like, school and stuff?"

"Same as always, I guess," Austin shrugs. He seems tense, not relaxing and not even leaning back against the couch. "I haven't been there much lately, obviously, but Dez says that the teachers are still bitches and the homework is far too time-consuming," he says almost sadly, as if he wishes he could be there instead of enjoying being home, for whatever reason that was.

"Yeah, that's the usual," Ally laughs, too loudly, or so it seems compared to Austin's quiet words. "How come you have been home? Don't you have exams and stuff around this time of the year?" She lowers her voice again, trying to blend in with the dark silence of the rest of the world and her living room.

"I've been in the hospital a lot. If I so much as sneeze, they need to get me in there and run all kinds of tests to make sure I'm alright." Austin gives a halfhearted smile to no one, trying to seem as if he's amused by the situation, but he fails. He's gripping his coffee mug tightly in his hands, taking small sips occasionally, and looking down. At what, Ally can't distinguish.

"Why is that; that you have been in the hospital so much, I mean?" Ally asks curiously, and Austin's head snaps up, giving her a look that says something along the lines of 'You don't know? I thought Dez said he had told you!'

"I have a heart defect, and if too much strain is put on my heart, I can die. I'm having surgery tomorrow, though." He tries to smile again, looking up at Ally this time, but the smile still doesn't reach his eyes. "It's going to be so awesome when this whole thing is over. I might be able to actually live again and go through high school like a normal person."

"It sounds like that would be a very risky procedure though; heart surgery, I mean. Were you born with the defect? I thought you usually did this kind of thing on babies..." Ally says thoughtfully, and Austin nods.

"I was born with it, but they didn't discover it until I was seven, and by that point they didn't want to do the surgery. Instead they wanted to wait until it was really necessary, and it has been necessary for six months now." Austin's voice is just a quiet whisper now, and he diverts his gaze again, looking around at everything in the room. What captures Austin's eyes are the paintings which, just like the ones in the hallway, are made mostly by Ally.

There is a painting, a really beautiful one, which causes Austin to stand up from the couch and put down his coffee mug on the coffee table, before walking over to it. It is very dark, even as a small light lights it up, but it is because of the colors. The colors used are dull and almost seem gray, but it seems fitting for the painting. Austin thinks it's supposed to be an apple, with a small chunk gone as if someone took a bite. The apple is shaped like a heart.

"I have a hole in my heart," Austin whispers sadly, reaching out a finger to trace the outline of the bite mark on the apple-heart.

Ally hasn't moved from her spot on the couch, but watches Austin with concerned eyes as she drinks the last of her coffee. Austin turns back around to face Ally as she puts her coffee mug down next to Austin's on the coffee table.

"What are the odds? Y'know, chances for survival?" Ally asks quietly, and Austin moves on to look at another painting, although none were as beautiful as the apple one. He doesn't want to answer Ally, because he doesn't like the answer he has to give her. He doesn't want to make it real, and by admitting it by himself, not having doctors or his parents or even Dez repeating it, he would make it real. "Austin?"

"Fifty/fifty," he whispers, closing his eyes and lowering his head as if he was staring at the dark brown floorboards. "Because I'm so old, and the hole has gotten bigger over the years, I have less of a chance to survive." His voice cracks slightly towards the end of the sentence, and Ally thinks that Austin might cry, but she's wrong. Austin doesn't cry anymore.

"Austin," Ally breathes shakily, wondering to herself how Austin copes with it, knowing that he's dying, that he might be dead by this time tomorrow. "Austin," Ally says again, "why are you here? You should be with your parents, and friends and... Why are you here?"

"Sometimes it feels like they are all thinking that I'm already gone. I wanted to get away from that. Talk to someone who didn't know." Austin turns to one of the old, worn out bookcases that are filled to the brim with magazines, books and movies. He looks through the movie shelf as it's in level with his face, and realizes that he hasn't heard of half of these films.

"But you didn't know that I didn't know until just twenty minutes ago, Austin. Not that I don't love to see you, but why are you really here?" Ally stands up and steps over to where Austin is skimming through the movies, squinting slightly to make out the titles in the dark.

"I just wanted to see you, that's all," Austin says and looks up to meet Ally's dark eyes. "I've been trying to get my parents to take me to Tampa for weeks, and Dez said he asked you to come home to Miami, but we had no success, so I took the train." He's turned back to the movies, pulling a DVD out to read on the back of it. "My parents think I'm at Dez's... and he thinks I'm at home," Austin finishes, and Ally can't help but think that the kid is crazy.

"You went all the way here on your own without even telling anybody? You're crazy! What if something had happened?" Ally exclaims, and Austin sighs heavily, walking around Ally and goes back to sit on the couch. "You could have died out there and no one would have known where you were!"

"Well, if I had known that you wouldn't want me here I wouldn't have bothered," Austin huffs, pulling his feet up on the couch and his knees to his face, curling into a ball.

"Austin, you know that's not true. I do want you here, but I'm worried about you, just like your parents and Dez. Do you think it's fair on either of them to act like this?" Ally tries to reason, dragging a hand through her light brown hair as she sits down next to Austin. "If you wanted to see me so badly and your parents wouldn't take you, why didn't you get Dez to come too?"

"Because I wanted to do something on my own for once. I'm sick of being babied all the time, never being allowed to do stuff without an adult present." Ally can't help but think that it is reasonable, but she still thinks Austin is stupid not to tell anybody. "If I'm going to die tomorrow, I wanted to have been out in the real world, lived a real life, even if only for a short while." For a moment it is hard to tell that Ally is four years older than Austin, and that it isn't the other way around. Austin sounds so much more experienced, even if it is his inexperience that makes it that way.

"What does it feel like?" Ally asks seriously, looking directly at Austin who's staring into the empty air in front of his face. "Knowing that you might... What's it like?" Austin doesn't reply for a good twenty minutes, leaving them in a dark silence. It isn't awkward, and it isn't comfortable either; it just is. Austin just doesn't know how to phrase what he's feeling to make Ally understand, and Ally doesn't know what more to say. She wants to know the answer to the question, and she knows that Austin wants to tell someone.

"It's scary," Austin says when he finally speaks. It's simple, and it's easy to understand, but Austin wants to tell Ally more, to get him to know how Austin is feeling. "I'm just sixteen. There is so much I haven't done yet, so much I should have done in the previous years but not been allowed to do. I haven't lived before, and I might not get the chance to live in the future either." He pauses, turning his head to look at Ally. "I know that my parents just want to protect me, but the thing is, I don't have a past, I might not have a future, so the only thing I have is right now. And I don't know what to do with it."

Ally looks at him, observingly, and she feels flattered that Austin is there with her, knowing that Austin really cherishes his last time before the surgery. She wishes she could make some of Austin's wishes come true, make him not regret not having done so many things. There's not much you can do at 10:30 on a Wednesday night, though, even in Tampa City. Not being sixteen.

She puts an arm around Austin's shoulders, squeezing them a little, and he feels Austin lean in to the small embrace before letting go. "I'm sorry. No one should have to go through this. Especially not so young," she sighs, wishing she had known earlier, that Dez had been more persistent when telling her and that she had actually listened to her brother like she usually did. She spaced out once, and that one time had to be when her brother was sharing something huge.

"Yeah, thanks," Austin exhales heavily, and he looks much older than sixteen. He shuffles forward on the couch so his butt is just on the edge of it and he can lean back and rest his head on top of the backrest, directing his face to gaze up at the white ceiling.

"Since you came here on your own, and I am not putting you on a train back to Miami alone, you can stay here," Ally says, getting up from the couch, and Austin gives her a grateful smile. "But you are calling your parents and telling them where you are," Ally gives him a stern look, and Austin looks like a small child who just got told he couldn't have any dessert unless he ate all of his brussel sprouts first.

"But they are just going to yell and then insist to come straight here and take me back home," Austin replies sadly, his voice dropping low as it laces with bitterness.

"Then hand the phone to me and I'll convince them that you're better off staying here, getting some rest, instead of traveling back to Miami again," Austin just sighs again, not looking at Ally and not answering her. "Either you call them, or I will, Austin. I really think it would be better if you called them, otherwise it might be harder to convince them to let you stay." Ally keeps her stern gaze locked on Austin, and as Austin finally looks up at her, she wins.

"Fine, I'll call them. But if they insist on coming here, I'm locking myself in the bathroom," Austin insists, and Ally smiles.

"Deal."

Twenty minutes later, Ally hangs up the phone after coaxing Mr. and Mrs. Moon into letting Austin stay in Tampa with him. They had screamed a fair bit, saying how stupid and irresponsible Austin had been to just take off without telling anybody, and then they asked if Dez and Ally had helped set it up, only believing Ally when she told them that Austin had just showed up outside her door.

Austin is sitting on the living room couch as Ally comes back out of the kitchen after talking to Austin's parents, and he lets out a relieved sigh as Ally says they're okay with it. Not fine, not happy, but okay, and at least glad to know where Austin is and that it's with someone they at least know the parents of, even if Ally hasn't lived with her parents since she went to college.

"Thanks," Austin says with a small smile, showing a glimpse of white teeth. After having been really tense during the phonecall, he allows himself to relax into the couch again, leaning back and breathing easily as he stares into space. "You have no idea how much this means to me, just being away from everything, even for a short while. I can almost pretend it's all just a bad dream."

"You're welcome," Ally smiles back at Austin. "Uhm, I only have one bed here, but you can have mine and I'll take the couch... You'd better go to bed soon, rest up for the surgery, y'know?" Ally says, feeling slightly awkward all of a sudden.

"Thanks, but I'm not tired. I don't want to go to bed yet. It would be a waste of time." Austin's face holds a sincere look, and not bothering with any protests, Ally slumps down beside him on the couch.

"I suppose we'll be staying up then. Anything in particular you want to do?" Ally asks, turning her head to see Austin more clearly. "We could watch a movie or something. Did you find anything interesting before?" Ally says, remembering that Austin had gone through her movie collection earlier. Austin nods, stands up and walks over to the bookcase, bringing back three of the movies he hasn't seen before, and Ally decides that they'll watch her favorite of them.

* * *

The last scene of the movie is playing on Ally's medium sized TV, and both people are feeling tired as it is so late, and they haven't spoken at all throughout the movie. They're sitting very close, though. Some time around the middle of the movie, Ally had leaned her body against Austin's side, resting her head on Austin's shoulders and, to make it more comfortable for both of them, Austin had lifted his arm and placed it around Ally.

Ally almost thinks Austin is asleep as she watches the movie through half-lidded eyes. The hero is currently making out with the heroine, who had started out like a typical 'damsel in distress' and then turned out to be some kind of macho chick. It's lame, but what can you do? Movie directors and producers do whatever they can to surprise the watchers nowadays. It's rather sad actually, Ally thinks.

But then Ally moves a little, shifting her body against Austin's, and as he speaks, they are both fully awake. "I've never kissed anybody." There's a sadness, a mourning, in Austin's voice, and it is painful to hear. His voice is thick and a little hoarse, and Ally would say that it's clogged up with tears, but he doesn't think that Austin is the kind of person to cry, no matter what.

She wonders what she should say, what kind of reply is suitable for this situation. She feels sorry for the boy that is way too young to die, but she doesn't think that sorry is a strong enough word. It's overused and abused by so many people, and is rarely used the right way, the way Ally wants to use it. But as she doesn't come up with anything better to say, she uses that popular little word anyway, and squeezes Austin's hand that was resting on her lap slightly, just for emphasis. "I'm sorry, Austin. I wish you didn't have to go through this, not alone."

Austin is alone, Ally knows that. He has the support of many people that love him, but no one can understand, no one can really be by his side as he goes through this. They are all just watching from the spectator seats, far away from where the action is. Austin feels like a hurt animal in a cage. Everybody on the outside is protecting him and trying to make him better, but he doesn't feel well being a captive, and no one seems to see that. He wants to go back into the wild, live his last days like he's supposed to, but no one has given him the chance because they don't understand. Austin is sure that Ally does, though.

"What's it like? Kissing?" Austin asks quietly, staring at the screen of the television as the credits roll and some bad 'dramatic' music plays. Austin really wants to know what it is like to kiss somebody. Ever since his condition had started to get worse, he had been wondering to himself if he would ever get to experience it before he died.

"It's hard to explain. It depends a lot on who you're kissing, and how you're kissing. What you want to say with it. In general, it feels very nice, though," Ally says thoughtfully, feeling a bit disappointed with herself because she can't explain it better, but Austin nods, understanding. "I'm sorry I can't give you any more details. I guess I just never thought about it myself, not since I had my first kiss and could stop wondering, anyway."

They sit together in a semi-awkward silence for a few minutes before Ally gets up and goes to the kitchen to make more coffee. Ally feels relieved as she enters the kitchen; it's as if the air is easier to breathe out there. It's not thick and awkward, unlike in the living room. She finds it difficult to be around Austin, she doesn't know how to act or talk, and she's afraid of making something worse.

When she gets back to Austin, it seems like the air has cleared up at least a little, though. Austin gives her a small appreciative smile as he takes the large mug full to the brim with the steaming hot, black liquid, before taking a sip that slightly burns his tongue. They sit in the same kind of silence as they had before, both pretending to concentrate on the coffee in their hands, but really just trying to figure out what to say or talk about, until Austin finally speaks up. Ally wishes the silence had been maintained, though.

"Ally, I was... I was kinda thinking, that..." Austin pauses, staring intently into his cup and the dark brown liquid in it. His hands are gripping the porcelain tightly, and his knuckles seem to be going white. He's blushing, Ally notes as she looks over at the sixteen year old, but he doesn't speak. "I was wondering..." Austin swallows deeply, "I was wondering if you could, maybe, kiss me?" Austin's normally cream white face has taken to a furious red color, and he's biting his lip harshly, squeezing his eyes shut.

Ally doesn't reply immediately, too stunned to react properly. She isn't exactly surprised by the question, she should have seen it coming after the subject of kissing was brought up earlier, but she can't see herself kissing Austin, or how Austin can want to waste his first kiss on her. She understands where Austin is coming from with how he wants to know what it feels like, but why couldn't he have gone to find someone who meant something to him instead? Why come to Ally, his best friend's older sister?

"Austin..." Ally finally says, but she is still not sure how to continue. Austin's face is still red with embarrassment, but it looks more sad as Ally continues speaking. "I can't do that, Austin. I'm sorry, but it wouldn't be right." She pauses again, and holding the coffee mug in one hand, she places the free one on Austin's shoulder. "You shouldn't be throwing away your first kiss just because of... this. Your first kiss should be special. It should be kissing someone you really like, just because you really want to." He squeezes Austin's shoulder gently. "You're still just sixteen, you have time."

Austin lifts his head up, staring straight into Ally's eyes with wide, dark eyes that are glossy with tears. "Not if I die tomorrow." Ally withdraws her hand, and takes a sip of his coffee that isn't that hot anymore, and Austin looks away again. "I just wanna know what it feels like..." Austin whispers, and Ally watches as a lonely tear slides down his cheek. It's a tragic sight, and Ally thinks that if it wasn't real, it would make a beautiful painting.

Ally puts her half-full mug on the coffee table, before gently prying Austin's half-empty one out of his hands and setting it next to it. She holds Austin's hands with her left one, and lifts the right one to his face, cupping Austin's cheek and rubbing away the tear with her thumb. Their eyes meet, and Ally sees how pretty Austin's eyes are, or have potential to be. They are still glazed over with tears, and red and swollen from being tired and very sad, but they are wide, and golden brown, and the pupils are dilated and pitch black. "Are you sure, Austin?" The young boy nods quickly, but still maintains eye contact with Ally. "You're not going to die tomorrow, Austin. You have to believe that."

"Ally..." Austin breathes pleadingly, nuzzling his face slightly closer to Ally's warm hand. But Ally moves it, catching a stray strand of Austin's hair, and tucks it behind his ear. She keeps her hand there, pondering over what to do, but only one more second of looking into Austin's begging eyes is enough to make her give in. Tilting her head to the left, she leans in and places her coffee flavored mouth over Austin's.

She lets her eyes fall shut as Austin's does and moves her lips slowly against Austin's, applying extra pressure where it's needed. Austin's lips are soft and warm; inexperienced, of course, and they just follow Ally's as she guides them. Ally pushes her hand into Austin's soft hair, cupping the back of his head. Austin's small and innocent, but itching curious hands twitch slightly, and soon one is carefully linked with the fingers of Ally's hand, and the other moves to Ally's side. It hangs there quite innocently, just cupping Ally's lower ribcage through the clothing.

Ally has no intentions of taking the kiss further, or even deepening it, but as Austin parts his lips just enough to let Ally's tongue slip in, and tugs gently on her shirt, she accepts the invitation. Austin flinches slightly at the first tongue-on-tongue contact, but he calms down and lets Ally lead him in a slow, wet dance.

The meeting of lips and tongues seems to last forever, and Austin wishes that it really will. If they both wanted it to, he thinks they could make it last forever, because the kiss is so slow and gentle that they can breathe easily through their noses and won't ever have to come up for air. The feeling of having something so warm and soft and wet as a mouth, moving with his own mouth, is something completely new, something he has only dreamed of before, and as Ally said earlier, it feels very nice.

But then Ally pulls away, and Austin is left feeling cold and vulnerable, his red lips glistening with shared saliva, just like Ally's pink ones. Ally pulls her hand back from Austin's golden hair, but slides it against Austin's cheek as she does so, giving him a warm smile. A light pink blush creeps upon Austin's cheeks, and he looks down as he withdraws his hand from Ally's body. Ally isn't letting go of the other one. "Thanks," Austin whispers quietly, his freshly kissed lips breaking into a small smile.

"You're welcome," Ally replies, returning the smile, and brushing Austin's hair out of his face again. But then that hand is gone, and their fingers are unlinked, and Ally is just leaning back against the couch, eyes closed, and lips forming a sleepy smile. "So, how was it? Did it feel like you expected it to?" Ally doesn't open her eyes, but her lips have formed a small grin, showing off her small, pearly white teeth.

Austin thinks for a while, watching Ally; Ally lips, to be more specific. "It was better, I guess. I don't know if I was expecting anything, though." He tries to relax against the couch as well, and he tries not to think too much on how he wants to kiss Ally again. He wishes he could at least kiss her until he was at the hospital and was getting prepared for the surgery.

Ally looks really tired, and even though Austin knows it's really late, or early, depending on how you want to see it, he doesn't feel sleepy. He shifts on the couch, shuffling a little closer to Ally, and Ally leans in to him just like she had when they watched the movie. Austin puts a strong arm around Ally's skinny shoulders, and Austin feels safe. Protected in a way his parents would never manage. Because Ally tries to understand.

"Do you really think I'll make it tomorrow?" Austin asks in the small voice Ally has grown accustomed to in the hours Austin has been in Ally's house. He doesn't understand how Austin could ever be loud, like Dez had suggested that he was all the time, because the small voice Austin has when he's with Ally just suits him. He's small, skinny and scared like a lost animal, not knowing if he's going to make it to see the flowers in bloom in the spring. He doesn't know if the rain that is now falling outside Ally's windows, just like the weather girl on channel four had announced, is going to kill him.

"It's raining," he adds with a small smile when he notices the rain drops falling against the glass. Ally opens her eyes and looks towards the windows and the falling rain drops for a minute, before turning her face down towards Austin. The boy's eyes are widened in fascination, and the pupils are dilated to try and suck in what little light there is in the room, trying to catch as many details of the rain outside in the dark, as possible. "I always loved watching the rain fall," he whispers quietly.

"It's beautiful." Ally leans her cheek against the top of Austin's head. The snow reminds her of Austin, how they are both so fragile, and how nobody knows whether they will still be here after tomorrow. "You're stronger than you think, Austin. Stronger than anybody gives you credit for. You'll make it." Ally presses her lips against Austin's hair, Austin nuzzles his nose against the light brown locks and smells the sweet scent of shampoo and conditioner.

"How can you be so sure? You don't know me that well." Ally sighs, and Austin pauses shortly, breathing deeply. "What if I'm not strong enough?" Ally doesn't reply, or show any kind of reaction to the question, because she doesn't know how. She wants so badly to make Austin believe in himself, in his own strength and will to survive, but when the sixteen year old won't do anything but point out all the risks and what ifs, she doesn't know what to do.

"We should go to bed. It's," Ally yawns and pauses, seeking out the bright yellow numbers on the DVD player. "It's almost two in the morning. You need to sleep before your surgery tomorrow." Ally withdraws her arm and stands up, stretching out her tired limbs that want nothing more than to sleep.

Austin feels cold and alone again, now that Ally is no longer there to protect her from the cold, seeping in through tiny cracks by the windows that are still getting attacked by tiny, innocent water droplets.

"You can have the bathroom first. I'll go and find something for you to sleep in." Ally feels strangely awkward, scratching the back of her neck before walking off to her bedroom. Austin follows seconds later, going to the bathroom which is located just next to it.

All of Ally's clothes are much too small to fit Austin, but Ally leaves a blue t-shirt and a pair of grey pyjama bottoms that Dez left at her house a while back out on the bed, before collecting her own sleeping clothes and going out to the living room to change. She doesn't expect Austin to come back out there, and she doesn't notice when the boy sneaks through the room to reach the kitchen and have a glass of water. But Austin sees Ally, and he notices her naked torso which is as white as Ally's face and hands. He sees the small shoulders he had felt earlier, and he wishes to feel them again.

When he returns from the kitchen, Ally has gone into the bathroom, so Austin just continues to the bedroom. He isn't tired, and he doesn't feel like trying to get any sleep, so he just sits on the edge of the bed, staring at the tiny gap underneath the door, where yellow light seeps in to the otherwise dark room. He sees the shadow of Ally walk by, and then the light disappears when Ally flicks it off out in the hallway. The darkness isn't soothing, and it doesn't make Austin tired at all. Not changing into the clothes Ally laid out for him, he pulls back the cover and lies down on the bed, staring up at the dark ceiling.

He can hear faint soft snores coming from the living room, even as they are muffled by the distance and the door. He imagines Ally's face, sleeping. He thinks it's relaxed, mouth hanging open as she breathes through it, and there might be some dark strands of hair sticking to her pale face. He thinks about the kiss, how good it had felt to have a pair of lips, Ally's lips, pressing against his own as a gentle hand laced in his hair. How odd it had felt to have another tongue in his mouth, and how he had wanted it to just keep going. He wonders if it always felt that amazing, or if Ally is just an exceptionally good kisser.

He knows that he should feel happy and content about that day, and be able to sleep easily because of that. He should be pleased with the fact that he had experienced one of the things he had thought he would never get. He had reached one of his goals, and if something went terribly wrong during the surgery, he at least wouldn't die as inexperienced as he had thought he would. But now, when he was just lying in the dark because he couldn't sleep, he suddenly feels like the kiss he had shared with Ally wasn't enough. It had felt completely extraordinary, but now he wanted to experience more.

He might die tomorrow. There are still so many things he has never felt and might miss out on if he doesn't wake up from the anesthesia.

**A/N: Well, that's chapter one! I'm in the middle of finishing chapter two, I just need to edit it about 2 times and i'll upload it in the next few days. Thanks for reading, i appreciate it so much! Leave a review if you liked it.**

**P.S. if your wondering Austin is sixteen and Ally is twenty.**


	2. Surgery Day

**A/N: There is some sexual reference in this chapter. Just a warning.**

He doesn't turn on any lights as he gets up from the bed, his eyes are already well adjusted to the darkness after staring at the ceiling for twenty minutes. The entire house is pitch black, but he sees enough to make his way to the couch were Ally is lying, curled up on her side. Her pink mouth is hanging open just like Austin imagined. Her brown hair is sprawled out around her head like a dark halo, contrasting perfectly with her face.

Austin feels like reaching out to touch her, her face and angelic hair, but he settles with whispering Ally's name and nudging her shoulder until the older girl stirs and awakes. She blinks sleepily in confusion, and rubs her eyes, trying to figure out where she is and what pulled her from her sleep. Finally, she realizes that she's on the couch, and that Austin is kneeling in front of her, dark eyes staring at her intently.

"Is something wrong, are you okay?" Ally yawns, quickly covering her mouth. She pulls her blanket up to her shoulders from where it has fallen down.

"I can't sleep," Austin states in a whisper, his clear eyes gazing in to Ally's soft, sleep-fogged ones that are still getting used to the dark. "I can't sleep," he repeats, and as he brings his eyes down, a sad look washes over his previously calm face.

"Austin..." Ally sighs, dropping her head down heavily on the cushions she's propped up on. Then, her eyes wander a bit lower on Austin's body. "You haven't even changed out of your clothes. There's no wonder you can't sleep when you're wearing jeans and a zip-up sweater." Ally groans, feeling like pressing her face into her make-shift pillow and just going back to sleep.

"I can't sleep, Ally," Austin says once again, emphasizing the sentence as he looks pleadingly at Ally, but the older girl doesn't know what she's expected to do in this situation. It's not like she has sleeping medication to offer, and even if she did she would give that to Austin just because of the awaiting heart surgery. "I can't sleep, because... because I..." Austin pauses, looking down at his shaking hands. "Because I... I w-want to, to have sex. With you."

"What?" Ally doesn't even give herself time to react before blurting out. "Are you out of your mind?" She sits up, staring at Austin intently, but the boy only looks down. "Austin, the kiss was one thing, but I am not having sex with you." She pauses to breathe, her body being completely riled up by the shock of the suggestion. "You're sixteen, not even old enough to have sex legally, and I'm too old for you. Not to mention that you only want this because... because of something in your head I can't even understand."

Austin feels the familiar burning sensation behind his squeezed shut eyelids, and he bites down on the inside of his cheek to fight the tears back. He never knew rejection would hurt so much, or that someone throwing his feelings, that apparently were wrong, back in his face would feel so humiliating. His hands are clenched into fists, but they are still shaking with silent frustration.

He opens his eyes and lifts his head to meet Ally's worried gaze. "Why is it so hard for everybody to understand that I am scared?" A few salty drops fall from his eyes, and Ally feels a sting of guilt. "I'm scared, Ally. I might die tomorrow, and I am scared." Ally lifts a hand to Austin's face, wiping away the tears, and Austin's stops for a second. "But I'm not afraid of dying like everybody thinks I am, that they expect me to be. I told you before, I'm scared of missing out on all the good things in life."

Ally pulls him close and wraps her small, naturally protective arms around Austin's shoulders, letting one hand twist in Austin's hair as she presses the boy's face against her neck. Austin's arms wrap tightly around Ally's middle, but he doesn't allow any more tears to fall, determined to keep them inside. Ally had called him strong, and he wanted to be.

"I might never get to see the world, Ally. I might never get to meet amazing people, or fall in love, or have a family and kids and make people happy. I might never have a chance to make my dreams of becoming a rockstar come true." Austin whispered against the warm skin of Ally's neck. "I can't make any of those things happen tonight, not even you can help me with that." Austin pulls back, moving his hands up to the front of Ally's shoulder and meeting her eyes. "But you can give me something, Ally. Because, you are here. And I am here." Ally's hand brushes against Austin's cheek as she reaches up to push back a loose strand of hair.

"If I die tomorrow-"

"You won't, Austin," Ally interrupts, a pained expression in her eyes.

"If I die, Ally, I want to know what it's like to be so close to another person." Ally is quiet, just gazing into Austin's sad eyes. "Please, Ally. You're the only one who can do this for me. I'm begging you." Austin lets his hands fall.

"You're just sixteen, Austin. You're... Are you even sure?" Ally asks. She wants so bad to make Austin see things her way, but at the same time she wants to give in and remove the heartbreakingly sad look from Austin's face. She knows that she could do it, easily. Austin is attractive, even with his innocent, juvenile look. But Ally knows that it would be wrong. Austin wants it for one reason, and it's not the right one. He'll end up regretting it if he survives. If he survives.

Austin nods, although it's slightly uncertainly. "I think so. I want to do this with you. I'm sure." Austin's voice is more confident now, and his golden eyes are fighting a battle with Ally's in the dark.

"It would be wrong, Austin. Illegal," Ally tries.

"Nobody else will know. I won't cop you out, it's just between us." Austin reassures.

"You'll regret it, Austin. When you get out of the hospital in a week, you'll be regretting that you threw away your first kiss and virginity on a girl you barely know." Ally tries to give him a stern look. "It should be someone special, Austin. Something worth remembering."

"I won't regret it. You are special. Ally, you're the only one who has tried to understand what I'm going through with this. The only one who has listened." Austin shows a small smile. "I'm begging you to do this for me, but I also want to give it to you." His hands are softly rubbing Ally's kneecaps as he gazes intensely into Ally's. "Please, Ally, make my first, and possibly only, time special. You're the only one who can."

Just like before, with the kiss, Ally is pondering and seeking within herself for more and better arguments, but the look in Austin's eyes is too much. It's so sad, so desperate and scared, and Ally doesn't have the heart to keep fighting the possibly dying boy before her.

"Okay."

The word rings in Austin's head, repeatedly vibrating through his cells. He looks into Ally's eyes, meeting her sincere gaze as surprise is spreading over his own face, and tingles of anticipation are already appearing all over his body. He feels Ally's hands grasp his own shaking ones, and for a second he thinks Ally is going to kiss him. Instead, Ally stands up, pulling Austin up from the floor as well. Ally lets go of one hand, and not saying a word, she leads Austin through the dark hallway to her bedroom. She feels Austin's hand trembling in her own, and tries so hard to convince herself that it isn't as bad as it seems, that she really is doing Austin a favor. She doesn't want to be the bad guy, but it seems like she has no choice in this situation. Either she has to be the bad guy now, or the bad guy later. Postponing things has never been so easy.

Once they reach the bedroom, Ally closes the door behind them before sitting down on the side of the bed, and Austin sits down close to him, but Ally angles their bodies so only their knees are touching, besides their linked hands. She lifts her free hand to Austin's face, catching all of Austin's messy hair and sweeping it out of his face so she can see him more clearly. Austin's golden eyes are shining in the dark, and Ally wishes that they weren't so frightened.

"Are you really, one hundred percent, absolutely sure about this?" Ally's voice is a low whisper, and she seems to be speaking more with her eyes. Biting his lower lip, Austin's nods his reply. "Should you even be doing this? You said earlier... You said that putting a lot of strain on your heart was dangerous. I don't want to worsen your condition."

"It's really not that bad, it's just my parents who are paranoid. Like, the only reason I've not been allowed any exercise is my parents. The doctors say it's good, as long as it's not too much." Ally's eyes are still doubtful and worried. "Please, I can do this. I want to." He grips Ally's hand a little tighter and shifts a little closer to her, never letting go of their tense eye contact. "Ally..."

Ally moves his hand to the back of Austin's neck, pulling his face close so their foreheads are pressed together, and their eyes are so close it almost hurts to look into the other's pair. "The second you want or need to stop, you tell me. Okay?" Austin nods, not able to tear his gaze away. "I mean it, Austin. I don't want you to hurt yourself, and I'll try not to, but I need your help to make sure I don't do anything wrong. I need your word." The atmosphere is tense as Ally awaits Austin's final response, and as she feels Austin's hot breath on her face, he looks deep into Austin's black pupils.

"I promise," Austin whispers, and with that Ally attaches her lips to Austin's for the second time that night. It's a slow, gentle kiss, no tongues involved just yet, and as Ally's hand laces in his hair, Austin thinks that this kiss is even better than the previous one. He lifts his free hand up to Ally's face, cupping her cheek so gently Ally can barely feel the touch.

* * *

Ally wakes up to the phone ringing on her nightstand, and reaches over Austin to get it. She leans back against the headboard, blinking tiredly and watching the sleeping boy as she answers the phone. There's a peaceful look on Austin's face, a serene smile playing at the corners of his lips and a glow that can only really be described as knowing. Still, he looks so innocent and small with his blonde locks in a mess all over his face.

"Hello?" she mutters into the phone, speaking quietly to not disturb Austin. Of course, it's Mrs. Moon who wants to come and get Austin back home within the next second, and it takes a while for Ally to explain to her that Austin is still asleep and tired. Then, she demands that Ally wakes Austin up so she can talk to him, and it takes another few minutes to convince her to give him half an hour to wake Austin up and have the boy call her back when he wants to.

She's not happy about the outcome when she hangs up, and Ally thinks she can almost hear the frown on her face as she speaks a sour 'goodbye'. Sighing heavily, she chucks the black device next to her on the bed, and winces slightly as it falls over the edge and hits the carpet with a low thud. Her eyes dart over to Austin, thinking that the sound combined with Ally's voice will have woken him up, but he looks peaceful as ever. Ally really doesn't want to have to wake the boy up, not when he for once looks relaxed, as opposed to scared, nervous and anxious. She really needs to do it, though, no matter how adorable Austin is when he is sleeping.

She brushes the blonde locks of hair out of Austin's face and smiles softly at the smooth face, not creased by any negative emotions. She leans down and presses an innocent kiss just on the corner of Austin's red lips, before bringing his mouth to Austin's ear. "Wake up, Austin." Austin scrunches up his face at the sound, burrowing it further into the fluffy pillow. "Wake up." Ally's voice is soft and gentle on Austin's still sleeping ears, but he does wake up now.

Ally pulls away just enough to see his eyes blink open, and he knows that the boy is opening them for the first time like an infant, opening them to see the world in a new light. The golden irises are confused at first, and the black, mysterious pupils still adjusting to the light in the room. As he sees Ally there, just inches from his face, a faint blush creeps upon his cheeks, but the smile that has been temporarily gone with the slight confusion, returns. "Hi..."

"Hi," Ally breathes back, softly like a lover's kiss. Austin rolls over so that he's lying on his side facing Ally instead of being sprawled out on his stomach, and the fact that they are both still naked with nothing to separate their hot skin becomes evident as they are suddenly very close. Austin doesn't blush, but brings one of his hands up to cup Ally's cheek, rubbing her cheekbone gently, before bringing their faces together in a kiss.

It's much like their first kiss the night before, the one on the couch. It's slow and soft, lips rubbing together in a beautiful dance that's making Austin see stars. His hand stays on Ally's cheek, making sure he stays where he is, and one of Ally's hands moves to Austin's bare hip, causing the boy to automatically move closer. Ally's tongue slips into Austin's mouth, and the sixteen year old lets out a soft moan. He wishes it could go on forever, but it can't and they pull away.

"You have to call your mom," Ally speaks, moving away from Austin who looks sad. "She called earlier and I said you'd call her back when you woke up." Ally leaves the bed, finding and putting on her undergarments, pyjama bottoms and shirt from the previous night. She picks the cordless phone up from the floor and chucks it at Austin who still lies on his side, watching Ally with a sad look in his golden irises. "You can have a shower if you want. I'll make breakfast."

Ally has walked out and almost closed the door behind herself when Austin speaks. "Don't bother, I'm not allowed to eat anything before the surgery." Then she hears Austin call up his mom, and ten minutes after that she hears the shower running.

She feels bad, she's acting badly, as if she doesn't care, or as if Austin doesn't mean anything, and she shouldn't be acting like that, not today. Austin needs her support, to feel the same emotional connection as they did last night. He said that Ally was special, that Ally was the only one who even tried to understand him, and now Ally is ruining it.

She finds some cereal in a cupboard and pours the sugary breakfast into a bowl before drenching it in milk. It's chocolate flavored, and with the bitterness of his mandatory breakfast coffee, it's a taste good enough to almost make her forget to feel like an asshole. Almost.

"I'm sorry," a soft voice speaks ten minutes later, and Ally jumps. She hadn't heard Austin coming, or even noticed when the shower had been turned off. "I'm sorry for whatever I did, the kiss..." He sits down at the opposite side of the table, looking down as Ally stares at him. "Did I do something wrong last night? You just left..." Austin glances up at him, something wet glimmering in the corners of his eyes.

"Don't be silly, Austin," Ally says quickly. "I- You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm just, I'm acting weird, and I should say sorry." Austin doesn't reply, but his face shows a hint of skepticism. "When I left last night, it wasn't because of you. I always do that, I always need to shower after..." She pauses and looks down as a pink blush stains her cheeks. "I'm sorry, I should have said something, but you were almost asleep already and..."

"It's okay," Austin whispers quietly, but loud enough for Ally to hear him and stop talking. "But what about this morning?" Austin sounds hurt. "You were fine until I kissed you, and then you just shut me out." Ally looks up again and, noticing Austin's hands resting between them on the table, she reached out and gripped one lightly. "I don't regret what happened last night, Ally, and I don't want you to either."

"I don't. I just don't know how to act. I don't know how you want me to act, because I don't know how you feel about it, about me." Ally speaks quickly, just wanting it all to come out. "I really enjoyed what we did last night, Austin. And..." The words get stuck on her tongue. "And I like you. You're gorgeous and... But you're just sixteen, and last night was just that. Last night." She tries to withdraw her hand, but instead Austin holds it tighter and laces their fingers together. "I wanted to help you, but it feels as if I've taken advantage of you."

"Don't be silly, Ally," Austin says, using the same tone of voice as Ally did before. "I knew what I wanted, I still know what I want, and right now it's just to wake up again in the morning." Austin's eyes are radiating the most sincere honesty, and the gold in them is bright enough to knock Ally off her feet, if she was standing, at least. "I like what we did too, and I like you and I wouldn't mind doing it again, but not now." Ally nods, understanding. "I don't think my parents would approve, not now, and I don't think it's a good idea right now. Maybe after I've recovered, if you still want to..."

Ally smiles. "Yeah. When you're ready, we'll give it a chance."

They are both silent for a few minutes as Ally finishes her breakfast and Austin watches it hungrily, not having eaten a thing since early last night. When she's done, they move into the living room to sit down on the couch, Austin's strong arm around Ally's small shoulders.

"How are you feeling, after last night?" Ally asks quietly after a few minutes, thinking about the suppressed wince she had seen in Austin's face as the boy moved from the kitchen.

"Not too bad, though. It was well worth it." Ally laughs softly, planting a kiss on the top of Austin's head. "Besides, I'll probably feel a lot worse tomorrow."

Ally nods, thinking. Then, she says: "You've changed. Since last night." Austin makes a little sound as if to say 'oh?'. "Last night you said if whenever you spoke about the future. Now you say when. You're definitely going to make it now."

Austin tilts his head down a little, and their eyes meet quickly before they kiss, shortly but passionately. "Yeah, I think I will."

The doorbell rings, and they both groan out loudly before pulling out of the embrace and heading to the door. Austin's parents hug him tightly as soon as the wooden barrier is out of the way, and the boy squirms uncomfortably in their arms. They thank Ally for taking such good care of their boy, and she assures them that it was no trouble at all, she was just happy to see him. They say their short goodbyes and leave, and Ally stands in the door looking after them until they reach the staircase. Closing the door, she leans back against it, sighing heavily as worry starts sneaking its way into her system. The doorbell rings again.

And there's Austin, a little out of breath, but grinning. "I told them I forgot something." He steps close, smiling up at Ally as he wraps his arms around her waist. "I never got to say goodbye." Ally hugs him back closely, nuzzling her nose in Austin's fresh smelling hair.

Austin presses a soft kiss on Ally's neck, whispering. "I'm still scared, Ally. I'm scared, but not as scared as I used to be. Thank you." Ally breaks the hug to look at Austin, cupping his face with both hands. "Can you be there when I wake up tomorrow?" Ally thinks about it, knowing that it would be bad to skip two days of college in a row, as she is actually supposed to be there now, but the look on Austin's face makes the decision for him.

"Of course. If I'm allowed to, I will." Austin grins, and they kiss softly one last time, and then Austin is out the door and going as fast as he can to catch up with his parents.

It's strange, how much certain people can affect one another, and how it seems like they were meant to change each other. The happy, brave boy that skips down the stairs is not the same boy that had turned up uninvited the night before and told Ally how he was most likely going to die the next day. The woman watching the boy run off to have a life-altering surgery is not the same woman as the one who opened the door with a surprised face and then listened to the boy's sad story and bad odds.

They took their chances when they were offered to them, and it changed their lives.

**A/N: Well, that's the end for Chances! Now I'm letting YOU decide if you want Austin to survive or not. Thanks for reading and reviewing, i'll be making more stories in the future.**


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